Archive for the "Press Releases" Category
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 was a day of celebrations for the cast and crew of the theatrically brilliant and socially essential show The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler. Brought to India by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and Kaizaad Kotwal in 2003, the play staged its 200th stage performance last evening at the Tata Theatre, NCPA followed by a soiree at Olive Bar and Kitchen, Mahalaxmi. The main event helped raise funds for 3 groups (and related individuals) all working towards ending violence against women. The after party was to raise a toast and celebrate the success of The Vagina Monologues and V-Day 2009.
The special show was performed by the original, brave Vagina Warrior actors – Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, Dolly Thakore, Sonali Sachdev, Avantika Akerkar, and Jayati Bhatia. Supporting the V-Day initiative this year were 3 of the film fraternities most sought after talents – Imran Khan, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar also lent their voices and flair to the evening.
The show, compeered by Sid Makkar (Luck by Chance) and Nairika Kotwal Cornett began on a rather melodious note with a song performed by Vishal Asrani. It was followed with a spectacular dance piece put together by Sandip Soparkar who was accompanied on stage by 2 splendid dancers – Jesse Randhawa and Smiley Suri. The dance depicted the life, sorrow and pain experienced by Haseena Hussain, a victim of an acid attack by a male colleague who took umbrage at her rejection and a torchbearer today trying to raise awareness about acid attacks and fighting violence against women.
Loveleen Tandon, co-director of Slumdog Millionaire attended the play as a chief guest. She lit the inaugural lamp and also gave the audience the VDAY Address including the movement’s focus on the Congo this year. Loveleen Tandon also read a special message from Eve Ensler to the audience followed by the poem Baptized also written by the playwright. The purpose and motive to host the play and launch V-Day was highlighted as Haseena Hussian was awarded and felicitated for her courage to lift herself up, starting a business of her own! When Haseena Husain told the audience that this was the first time she had left the house in ten years because of her horrendous scarring, the audience rose and gave her a standing ovation for almost five minutes. Dr. Armida Fernandez & Dr. Nayreen Daruwalla accepted a donation on behalf of their Center for Vulnerable Women and Children in Dharavi, the second largest slum in the world. The Center provides all the necessary medical and legal aid to victims of violence and works harder at trying to prevent and end the violence in the first place.
Farhan and his sister Zoya read a heart felt thoughts specially penned by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal titled – In India: Girls Are Meant For Burning And Boys Are All That Matter. Imran Khan narrated two monologues during the evening from A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, edited by Eve Ensler. This was a fantastic debut by all our film actors.
The show was carried forward with the original cast beautifully enacting various monologues like “The Vagina Workshop” and “The Flood”. The performance was interrupted on several occasions by thunderous ovations and at the end a standing ovation. The evening ended with Vishaal Asrani singing Jai Ho! – this year’s Oscar-winner for Best Song (from Slumdog Millionaire) which sent the audience out into the night with the message about the end to violence that, “MAY VICTORY BE YOURS!”
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Natasha Parekh/ Vrinda Mehra
The shirt debuted during V-Day’s five city ‘TURNING PAIN TO POWER TOUR’ featuring Eve ad Dr. Mukwege from the Panzi hospital in Bukavu, DRC.
The shirts raise awareness about the V-Day and UNICEF joint campaign which is exposing the devastating impact of rape on Congolese women’s health, their families and their communities; calling for specific measures to end impunity for perpetrators; economically and socially empowering women and girls to lead in the prevention of sexual violence and in the rebuilding of a country devastated by conflict; building and opening the City of Joy in conjunction with Panzi Hospital, a center where survivors will be provided with support to heal and training to further develop their leadership and life skills.
Shirts are black sheer jersey combed ring spun cotton with cap sleeve and red, white and green screen print. Made in USA. 100% Organic.
To purchase the shirt in either ladies fitted or UNISEX please click here
For more information on V-Day’s Congo campaign please visit www.vday.org/drc
SEND A MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY TO THE WOMEN OF CONGO – LET THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL HEAR YOUR VOICE!
V-Day has just launched the ‘V-WALL FOR CONGO’ so you can post messages of solidarity to the women of Congo, and let them know you care. As the violence in the Eastern DRC continues, your support & your voice are critical. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped, and thousands more are at risk every day. The atrocities being perpetrated against women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo are nothing less than a femicide.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. Let the women of the Congo hear you! Speak out against this violence and send your message of hope, empowerment, change and victory. And invite your friends to join you and V-Day in solidarity with the women and girls of the Congo.
Join Us On the Wall Now >
BREAKING NEWS! We’ve just found out that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will visit the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, DRC next weekend! Add your voice to the V-Wall and let the Secretary General know that you are aware of the violence that women in Congo face and that you urge our world leaders to help, AND TO HELP NOW.
Panzi Hospital will post your messages and photos on the hospital walls for the Secretary General’s visit. ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE WALL – and show the Secretary General and the world you are watching.
Shane and Shawn Ward, founders of SHANE&SHAWN shoes, have teamed up with Eve and V-Day to raise awareness and money to end violence against women.
The SHANE&SHAWN V-Day collection consists of two styles, the lace-up shoe for men, K-Mack; and for women the Eve, a specially designed pump named after Eve Ensler. Both styles bear an embroidered V-Day symbol in red and fuchsia, identifying the core of the V-Day message to the fashion world. In addition, SHANE&SHAWN’s patent pending Luxury Liner, a quilted leather padding present in each SHANE&SHAWN shoe, receives a new look for the V-Day collection.
“We pushed the limits of our creativity to deliver a shoe that echoes the sentiments of a charity that is dear to our hearts,” says the brand’ s Creative Director Shane Ward.
25 percent of proceeds from the sales of V-Day Collection will benefit V-Day. The exclusive collection will be available in March 2009 at the SHANE&SHAWN flagship location in New York and online at www.shaneandshawn.com and www.vday.org.
PRE-ORDER these unique and exciting shoes TODAY at http://www.shaneandshawnstore.com/vday.html
On February 19, City Arts & Lectures will host an evening of conversation and revelation with internationally renowned Dr. Denis Mukwege and acclaimed playwright and V-Day founder Eve Ensler.
Following this event, a very special reception will be hosted by Traci Des Jardins, Beth Karpfinger, Wynnette LaBrosse, and V-Day board members Emily Scott Pottruck and Sheryl Sandberg at nearby, critically acclaimed Jardiniere restaurant.
There is LIMITED space available, so buy your tickets TODAY at vday.org/sf
Tickets range from $250 dollars to $10,000 and are considered a tax deductible donation.
For more information on the tour please visit vday.org/pain-to-power-tour
For more information on the DRC and ways that you can get involved, please visit vday.org/drc
On February 19, City Arts & Lectures will host an evening of conversation and revelation with internationally renowned Dr. Denis Mukwege and acclaimed playwright and V-Day founder Eve Ensler.
Following this event, a very special reception will be hosted by Traci Des Jardins, Beth Karpfinger, Wynnette LaBrosse, and V-Day board members Emily Scott Pottruck and Sheryl Sandberg at nearby, critically acclaimed Jardiniere restaurant.
There is LIMITED space available, so buy your tickets TODAY at vday.org/sf
Tickets range from $250 dollars to $10,000 and are considered a tax deductible donation.
For more information on the tour please visit vday.org/pain-to-power-tour
For more information on the DRC and ways that you can get involved, please visit vday.org/drc
Receive 50% Off Tickets for V-Day’s ‘TURNING PAIN TO POWER’ Tour,
featuring Dr. Denis Mukwege and Eve Ensler, February 11, at the 92 Street Y, NYC
On February 11, playwright/V-Day founder Eve Ensler and Dr. Denis Mukwege,
founder of the PANZI Hospital in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
will launch the 5-city North American speaking tour at the 92 Street Y in
New York City.
Awarded the UN Human Rights Prize in December 2008 for his humanitarian
work, and winner of the “African of the Year Award,” Mukwege joins Eve
Ensler in exposing femicide and the sexual torture of women in the DRC, and
relaying the stories of women survivors on the ground who are coming
together and breaking the silence.
V-Day is pleased to present you with the special discount code, SM50, which
will enable you to receive 50% off the ticket price. Tickets are on sale now
at:
http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T-LC5WL10
The tour is in support of V-Day’s joint campaign with UNICEF- STOP RAPING
OUR GREATEST RESOURCE: POWER TO WOMEN AND GIRLS OF THE DRC – which is
exposing the devastating impact of rape on Congolese women’s health, their
families and their communities; calling for specific measures to end
impunity for perpetrators; economically and socially empowering women and
girls to lead in the prevention of sexual violence and in the rebuilding of
a country devastated by conflict; building and opening the City of Joy in
conjunction with Panzi Hospital and Dr. Mukwege, a center where survivors
will be provided with support to heal and training to further develop their
leadership and life skills.
For more information please visit
http://newsite.vday.org/pain-to-power-tour
Download a PDF of this Press Release >
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Margaret Bensfield, (212) 751-3476, mbensfield (at) groupsjr.com
Susan Celia Swan (917) 865-6603, press (at) vday.org
V-DAY BREAKS SILENCE ON CONGO’S BRUTAL RAPE CRISIS WITH FIVE-CITY ‘TURNING PAIN TO POWER TOUR’ FEATURING EVE ENSLER AND DR. DENIS MUKWEGE
The Vagina Monologues Playwright and V-Day Founder Eve Ensler Joins UN Human Rights Award-Winning Doctor in NYC, LA, SF, Atlanta and DC to Raise Awareness
New York, NY (January 14, 2009) – To combat rampant rape and mutilation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has affected hundreds of thousands of women, V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, announced today a tour to raise urgent new awareness of the DRC crisis. The five-city ‘Turning Pain to Power Tour’ will take place this February, making stops in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Washington, DC.
Events on the tour will feature Dr. Denis Mukwege, founder of the DRC’s PANZI Hospital in Bukavu, and playwright/V-Day founder Eve Ensler. Honored by the UN in December 2008 for his humanitarian work, and winner of the “African of the Year Award,” Mukwege joins Ensler, the founder/artistic director of V-Day, and the award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues, in exposing femicide and the sexual torture of women in the DRC, and relaying the stories of women survivors on the ground who are coming together and breaking the silence.
During public conversations with Ensler, Dr. Mukwege will describe his experiences treating and performing life-saving fistula surgery on thousands of Congolese women and girls destroyed by unspeakable rape and mutilation. Their conversations will also explore the causes of the brutality, ways to stop the ongoing femicide, and Congo’s growing movement of women leaders.
The tour is in support of V-Day’s joint campaign with UNICEF – STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE: POWER TO WOMEN AND GIRLS OF THE DRC – which is exposing the devastating impact of rape on Congolese women’s health, their families and their communities; calling for specific measures to end impunity for perpetrators; economically and socially empowering women and girls to lead in the prevention of sexual violence and in the rebuilding of a country devastated by conflict; building and opening the City of Joy in conjunction with PANZI Hospital and Dr. Mukwege, a center where survivors will be provided with support to heal and training to further develop their leadership and life skills.
“What we’re seeing in the DRC is a war being enacted on the bodies of women that is conscious and intentional – it is the systematic destruction of the female population of the Congo,” said Ensler. “But after three trips to the Congo in the last eighteen months, I have seen the spirit and strength of the Congolese women translated into a burgeoning movement which is turning pain to power.”
The ‘Turning Pain to Power Tour’ has been made possible by generous support from Open Square Foundation, which is putting a strategic focus on ending violence against women in the DRC.
See Tour Itinerary and Venues >
For more information about the tour and V-Day’s campaign on Democratic Republic of Congo, visit vday.org. To receive the latest tour information, sign up for V-Mail at vday.org/vmail. To read the recent The New York Times article – “Rape Victims’ Words Help Jolt Congo Into Change” October 19, 2008, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/world/africa/18congo.html?hp
About V-Day
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2008, over 4000 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $60 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 10,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic Of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. V-Day was named one of Worth magazine’s “100 Best Charities” in 2001 and Marie Claire’s “Top Ten Charities” in 2006. The ‘V’ in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. http://www.vday.org
About Open Square Foundation
Open Square, formerly Agora Foundation, believes: challenges facing women are to be embraced, not avoided; women have a right to share in discussion and direct decisions that affect their lives; marginalized women and girls are to share in the exercise of power at all levels. It funds forums and community conversations that take on challenges facing women, with an eye to sustainable solutions. It asks the difficult questions and deals with conflict through compromise and realism. It is building funding relationships with Family Violence Prevention Fund, V-Day, International Rescue Committee and Free the Slaves, with the intent to stem violence against women, especially in eastern DRC. During 2008 and 2009, it is targeting investments of nearly $6 million toward this effort.
Join Eve in Washington, DC, THIS WEEKEND for a Rally in Support of Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, January 17th
Congo Global Action, Friends of the Congo, African Faith & Justice Network and the Congolese Community of United States of America, in Collaboration with V-Day and The Greatest Silence, invite you to join us, this Saturday, January 17th for an afternoon of events to remind President-Elect Barack Obama that Peace in Congo should be a priority.
Rally in Support of Peace in DRC
1 – 4 PM EST
Lafayette Park (In Front of the White House)
Between 16th & H Street, NW
Honored Speaker: Eve Ensler
Congo Forum: What is the Future of Congo?
In honor of Patrice Emery Lumumba
6-9 PM EST:
Trinity University
125 Michigan Ave, NE
Washington D.C. 20017
Honored Speaker: Guy Patrice Lumumba (the Youngest Son of Lumumba)
For more info, please contact: info@congoglobalaction.org
Vagina Warrior and V-Day’s newest staff member, Christine Schuler Deschryver has been named one of Women’s eNews’ 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, an awe-inspiring, reader-nominated list of activists and leaders from all over the world who are making news by changing women’s lives.
Christine joins Roxanne Mankin Cason, Sharon Katz, Amy Sananman, Malaak Compton-Rock, Lilly Ledbetter, María Luisa Sánchez Fuentes, Nadia Farjood, Patrick C. Lynch, Paula J. Giddings, Rabbi Diana Manber, Marilyn Smith, Sara Gould, Anika Rahman, Susan Stautberg, Dusti Gurule, Dr. Linda Randolph, Johnnie Walker, Nancy Hopkins, Cathi Rodgveller and Jacki Zehner.
In 2000, after witnessing the rape and murder of her best friend, and after an infant died in her arms, Christine Schuler Deschryver decided to devote her life to alerting the world to the femicide and massive rape against women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The first victim of atrocities was my best friend,” Schuler Deschryver says. “She was raped by 20 men and her body was found with more than 100 holes….I had two choices then, to leave the hell or to alert the world. I chose the second,” Schuler Deschryver recalls.
In 2007, she joined the V-Day and UNICEF global campaign STOP RAPING OUR GREATEST RESOURCE: POWER TO THE WOMEN AND GIRLS OF THE DRC. In January of 2009, Christine became a full time staff member and will lead V-Day’s efforts on the ground in the Congo as Director of V-Day Congo and City of Joy.
“It is with women’s movements on the ground that we can change the world and bring hope.”
For more information on the global campaign and City of Joy, please visit www.vday.org/drcongo